In a July 9 “Reporters on the Job” segment, the Christian Science Monitor erroneously described the West Bank town of Efrat as a “settler outpost.” In a July 14 letter to International Editor David Clark Scott, CAMERA noted that Efrat, with a population of about 7000, is one of the most established communities in the West Bank. The town is part of the Gush Etzion bloc, which was established in 1943, only to be destroyed by the Jordanian Legion in 1948 and rebuilt by Israelis in 1967. The bloc is widely expected to remain a part of Israel in any future peace agreement.

Peace Now’s Web site defines an outpost as “any area, (generally on a hilltop), with a number of structures, that is totally separated from the closest permanent settlement.” Acknowledging that Efrat is one of these “permanent settlements,” Americans for Peace Now lists Givat HaTamar West as an outpost, and names Efrat as its “mother settlement.”

In response to CAMERA’s email about the error, Mr. Clark Scott thanked CAMERA for “bringing it to [his] attention,” and today the paper printed the following correction:

Not an Outpost: In this column on July 9, under the title “Principles in Conflict,” we erroneously described a West Bank town where Ben and his Peace Now guide stopped for refreshments. Efrat is a large, well-established settlement under Israeli law.